Soulmates
by Asu91
Summary: AU Damon/Elena     Aristotle said: A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. Very well, then what are two souls dwelling in one body? READ THE LATEST AN PLEASE!
1. The Return

**Chapter 01: The Return  
**

The blue Mustang turned right and was greeted by the rusty sign announcing "Welcome to Mystic Falls!"

"The hell on earth," the young and handsome driver muttered unperturbed. His name was Damon and he knew this town well. There was nothing welcoming about it. Partially, the reason why he had not been here for ages. But after travelling the world for a century and a half he had found his way back here in lack of inspiration for another destination.

Therapists would probably say he'd be ready to face his demons of the past. Rubbish, in the man's opinion. Sure, there had been things troubling him in the past but he believed to have them all in check – the demons and the emotions which were attached to them.

Following the main street, which was pretty much the town's only street he passed a large real estate, the most expensive estate of the town as well. It belonged to the town mayor Lockwood who was living there with his family. Damon huffed as an evil smile spread across his lips. Had they known who he was they'd be running for their lives by now.

But he didn't mean them any harm. Not the current generation right now. They just happened to have been born into this pathetic family. They had nothing to do with the incident back then. The former generation however had gotten what they deserved and he was sure that none of them actually rested in peace.

Driving further down the road Damon noticed that almost nothing had changed during the last 140 and some years. On the outward that is. If there had been changes in the town's character was yet to find out.

Damon didn't know if it was the fact alone that he was back at this place or maybe the not unimportant addition that there would be a full moon tonight. Right now it was covered by the clouds hanging in the sky but already in a few hours when the sun had set the moon would shine in his full glory.

Talk about demons.

As he felt everything coming back to him Damon slowed down and paid attention to a red light for most likely the very first time. Though he couldn't care less about any citizen's life he didn't want to draw attention to himself by accidently running somebody over while lost in thoughts.

He saw her face… her piercing, brown eyes… her sweet, childlike smile… the slick, brown hair that smelled like roses…

It took him a moment to realize that he was indeed seeing her face. The fact hit him so hard that his left foot unintentionally pushed down the gas pedal but almost instantly his right feet slammed the brakes. With a jolt his car came to a halt, merely inches in front of the woman.

Damon stared at her in disbelief. How was this possible? Was this a déjà-vu? Fate's sick way of humor? Maybe he was dreaming? Or seeing a ghost?

And then her last words echoed in his ears

_We'll be together again… _

* * *

Attempted myself at an AU story. I guess you're pretty confused right now but don't worry, you'll learn what happened in the coming chapters :)

1 guess only: Who was the person Damon aciddently ran over? ;)


	2. First Encounter

_Small steps, I keep telling myself whenever I realize how much times has passed since I last posted a chapter. I feel horrible! But I've been a mess because of school lately. Some things I've envisioned for my future have gone terribly wrong and now I have to shape myself a knew future. However I intend to keep my fanfictions to be part of it! Writing helps me, too as I'm going to apply to a film school for "script writing". So I'm looking forward to your response more than ever! Tell me what you think! _

* * *

**Chapter 02: First Encounter  
**

It took Damon some time to snap back into focus. Finally it was an angry female voice which brought him out of his trance.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Huh? What?"

Damon took of his sunglasses and blinked a few times. The figure that resembled Katherine so much was still there. So it wasn't a hallucination. Could it be…? No, Katherine was dead. She died in his arms those many years ago. Then who was…

"I'm talking to you!" the Katherine copy snapped. "Keep your thoughts on the road, will you? You nearly ran me over!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry?" she repeated incredulously. "I can't believe it."

She shook her head and resumed walking. Watching the first vision of Katherine walking away made him snap out of it.

"Hey, wait!"

She stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, have we finally woken up? Good morning," she added sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. Really. You look familiar," he said. "What's your name?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him. "And who are you?"

"I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours."

A small smiled tucked at the corners of her lips. "I'm Elena."

"Elena who?"

"Elena Gilbert."

Gilbert? How was this possible?

"You don't look like a Gilbert to me," he stated truthfully.

"Ouch." She frowned at him. "How would you know?"

"I once knew a Gilbert."

"What was name?"

"Jonathan."

"Don't know him," she replied. "But my uncle's name is John Gilbert. Could you mean him?"

"Probably not."

"Hmm… You still haven't told me your name," she reminded him.

"Right. I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore," he told her.

"Salvatore… as in Zach Salvatore from the boarding house?"

"Yeah. Zach's my uncle actually."

"Ah, so you're a cousin of Stefan?" she asked.

Damon's eyes widened in surprised. "You know Stefan?"

"Yeah. We're classmates and he's also my boyfriend."

"Oh, really…"

Cunning bastard, Damon thought. It was so obvious why Stefan was with her. Back then they had been rivals for Katherine's love. Now he was trying to replace Katherine for Elena. Does it work, Damon briefly wondered. Probably not, but he would ask him.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Damon. I've gotta go now," she said.

"Where are you headed?"

"To the graveyard if you must know."

"You go there often?" he mocked.

"Yes, you jerk. Visiting my parents' grave," she explained offended.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied sincerely. "So you're parents are dead."

"Yes, they died last spring," she told him sadly but quickly pushed her emotions back and put on a blank face. "So you're here to stay," she continued the small talk.

"That was the plan actually," Damon replied.

"Then I guess I'll see you around."

"Definitely," he confirmed with a smirk and wiggled his brows at her.

Elena shook her head half-amused before she crossed the street. Damon watched her in the rear view mirror until she turned around a corner. Then he put his ray-bans back on and started the engine of his Mustang.

His thoughts were still occupied with that mysterious girl when she arrived at the boarding house where he knew his distant relative Zach and his stupid brother were living.

"Welcome home, Damon," he muttered sarcastically and put his sunglasses into the pocket of his leather jacket.

He had never felt home anywhere for the last 145 years and he still didn't now that he had returned to Mystic Falls. He probably never would.

* * *

**FLASHBACK **

"_I like this town. I would like to stay," she informed him._

_They were sitting on the grass by the lake. Katherine was leaning against Damon's chest, her eyes closed._

"_Please do," Damon agreed. "I despise this town and its people. If you were to stay I would no longer be alone."_

"_You are not alone. You have your brother and your father," she reminded him softly._

"_My father is who I despise the most."_

"_Hmm…" Katherine mused aloud. "To me this town feels like home."_

"_And to me every place feels like home if only you are around," Damon replied._

"_Those are very nice words, Damon. I feel flattered and happy to make you feel this way," she said and kissed him chastely._

**END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Without Katherine in his life every place felt the same, cold and grey and not any could make him feel at home. He missed Katherine terribly. Time didn't heal all wounds after all. He was till hurting like he had lost her only yesterday. But he was also hopeful. He couldn't describe why but he had a hunch that it had something to do with that girl. He wasn't a believer and he definitely wasn't a Buddhist but now might be the time to start believing – in life after death and in reincarnations.

* * *

_I'm going to include flashbacks every once in a while. They will help you understand what happened back then and what's going on in Damon's head._

_So long ~_


	3. Hello Brother

_Hi, everyone! I'm taking a hiatus with my first fanfiction so I can catch up a little on this one. However my inspiration for this one isn't fully back yet so I will continue this slowly. Baby steps and baby chapters. _

_Thank you for your reviews ! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapters and I hope you will enjoy this one, too!_

_Please don't forget that this is an AU story. I'll just pick something up from the show every now and then. But the storyline will be AU, some rules will be, too and we won't get to see every character who was ever on the show._**  
**

* * *

**Chapter**** 03: Hello Brother **

To his utter disappointment everything was still the way he left it two decades ago. His "home" was still the former Boarding House, now solely occupied by his brooding brother and their distant uncle Zach.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Stefan, what the hell are we doing here?" Damon asked, took off his Ray-Bans and regretted it immediately after one glance at the eyesore in front of him._

"_Well, I don't know about you but I'd like to have a house to where I can return every once in a while. A home," Stefan explained._

"_This isn't our home, Stefan," Damon corrected him sharply. "In case you forgot, our home is a few miles further south. Or at least what's left of it after they burnt it down."_

"_Which isn't my fault," the younger Salvatore reminded him. "You were the one who went on a killing spree."_

"_They deserved it. This town isn't our home anymore, Stef. They took it from us the night they took Katherine's life."_

"_And you took theirs in return and you're still not satisfied. When will you stop, Damon? Killing all Lockwoods. It's not gonna bring her back. Nothing is. She's never coming back. You have to accept that!"_

_Damon ignored his brother's last statement. "So you want to make this your home, huh? How do you imagine this? Go compel the owner to leave it to you or what?"_

"_The owner's dead," Stefan stated coolly. "You took care of that already. He was a Lockwood."_

"_Oh… so this is Lockwood property? No way! Forget it!"_

"_Damon – "_

"_No! I'm not gonna set a foot inside that thing!"_

_Stefan shrugged. "Go suit yourself. But I will. No one's been living here for years. They don't care about the estate. They have enough I guess. And a small town doesn't need a boarding house. No one from outside is ever coming here."_

"_So you're just gonna step in and make yourself _at home_ then?" Damon said his voice dripping with sarcasm._

"_No, _we_ are," Stefan corrected and pushed his brother over the threshold so that he stumbled inside. "See? I knew I was right. No one's living here."_

_Damon fake-sneezed and knocked invisible dust off of his clothes. _

"_Yeah, I wonder why… Well, have fun cleaning this place. I'm gonna return to my hotel suite now," he replied and attempted to leave but Stefan blocked his way. Damon groaned. "Oh come on. You can't expect me to help you. It's _you_ who wants to live here, not me."_

"_Damon – "_

"_Don't Damon me. I realize you need your big brother to protect you so I will move some of my stuff in here but I'm not gonna settle. I'll visit. Call me when the dust's off."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

_The place is still an eyesore_, Damon thought. But at least it was clean now. He contemplated ringing the bell just to annoy Zach but then decided against it and barged right in. He headed straight into basement for the fridge.

"There's no blood in the fridge," a male voice behind him announced.

Damon smirked and turned around to see his little brother standing there, arms folded.

"Hello, brother," Damon greeted him.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" Stefan asked, clearly not happy to see him.

"What am I doing here… Well, what does it look like? I'm visiting."

"You don't visit, Damon," Stefan corrected unperturbed by the fake kindness. "You stroll."

"I stroll. Okay…"

"And when you do," Stefan continued. "someone in this town usually ends up dead."

"Yeah, well, they wouldn't if you kept any blood in the fridge," Damon remarked, passing him.

Yes, that was what they were. Vampires. Monsters which fed on the human life source in order to survive. Unlike Damon who fully appreciated his undead life Stefan was different. He denied his vampire existence and tried to live his life as humanly as possible. That was why he only fed on animal and never on human blood. Well, he had his problems with human blood anyway but that was an entirely different story…

"Where are you going?" Stefan inquired.

"Getting dinner," Damon answered winking. "You want some?"

"No, I'm good. I'm gonna head into the woods later."

"Ooooh, Bambie and squirrels beware," Damon mocked before leaving the manor.

Stefan stared after him, scowling. When he heard his brother leave through the front door he pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

"Hey, it's Stefan. Oh yeah, everything's fine. I was just wondering… Are you free for tonight?"

* * *

_Okay now you know a little about the history of the Salvatores in this story. For some reason the Lockwoods killed Katherine in 1864. After that Damon went on a killing spree and killed most Lockwoods. In return the town's citizens burnt down their home and more than a century later Stefan sought out the Boarding House as their new home. _

_Why the Lockwoods killed Katherine and much more will be revealed in the coming chapters! :)_

_P.S. Those who can guess who Stefan is calling will get a dedication in the next chapter ;)_


	4. Getting Acquainted

_Chapter 4 is here. As promised, it's dedicated to Liisamyts and ayna93 as they figured out who Stefan was calling at the end of the last chapter. Thanks for reviewing, you two! :)  
_

_ To you and everyone else, enjoy reading!_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 04:**** Getting Acquainted **

Oh damn, why had he come back? The place was boring as hell. And the girls weren't as delicious as their looks. Like that girl he had devoured half an hour ago… whose perfume had been way sweeter than her blood… druggy trash…

Now, he was sitting at the bar, getting drunk to worship the day. It was legitimate. Today was the day he finally felt a little hope rise inside of him after almost 145 years. The moment he had met Elena Gilbert had ignited that spark of hope. Maybe she really was Katherine's reincarnation. The looks were speaking for themselves anyway. Now he just had to find out if her personality was Katherine's as well.

He downed another shot and let his gaze wander around The Grill – the hotspot of Mystic Falls both bar and restaurant but nothing compared to the hotspots of big cities like New York. God, how he missed New York and how he hated small towns. He needed to get out of there. Maybe he could annoy his brother a little…

He took out his wallet and slammed 20 bucks onto the counter. He was a dick in many ways but he was also a man of honor. He kept his promises and he paid his dues.

He swirled around to leave but froze when he spotted four people enter The Grill. His brooding brother, accompanied by an Afro-American girl, a blonde and the sweet Elena. He put on his signature smirk and _strolled_ over to them.

"Well, well, if that isn't Elena," he said, blocking their way and interrupting their conversation.

Elena didn't seem to mind. "Damon was it, right?"

"In the flesh."

They shared a chuckle and Damon enjoyed the frown creeping onto his brother's forehead.

"You two know each other?" he asked puzzled.

"Would someone introduce us, please?" the blonde demanded.

"Yeah, Elena, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" Damon said sweetly.

"Alright, guys," Elena began. "This is Damon."

"How do you know each other?" Stefan interrupted the introduction suspiciously.

"I – "

" He – "

"She was on the road– "

"And he almost run me over," Elena finished, laughing about them speaking at the same time. "I'm glad you took off those glasses. You might seriously hurt someone."

"Oh, it wasn't because of the glasses. I was just blinded. Doesn't happen everyday that you see such a beauty on the road. And her looks are quite striking, right Stefan?"

The eyes of the younger Salvatore narrowed. "Yes, they are," he muttered sharply. He gave Damon a warning glance to tell him to shut up but Damon only smirked.

"Oh, so you already know Stefan?" the Afro-American asked now.

"We're actually brothers," Damon replied in a low, mysterious voice. "But don't spread the world. It might affect my reputation." The hint of a grin tucked at the corners of Elena's mouth. Damon winked at her. "The Salvatore brothers finally reunited," he continued, sounding melodramatic now. "But enough of us. Elena, you haven't introduced your pretty girlfriends to me yet."

"Oh right. Sorry. Damon, meet Bonnie and Caroline."

Damon offered his hand to both girls. Blondie whose real name was Caroline took it first. Damon pulled her in and sized her up. She looked quite decent but she seemed to be quite shallow, too. Still Damon kissed her hand in perfect gentleman manner.

"Nice to meet you, Caroline," he drawled, pleased to see Blondie blush. Oh, she was so into him already. Maybe he would check her out later…

Next was Bonnie, the Afro-American. Their greeting was rather short. The moment their hands made contract Bonnie jerked and pulled her hand back, startled.

"Bonnie, is something wrong?" Elena asked worried.

Bonnie quickly regained composure. "No. I'm fine. I just… I thought I saw something."

Damon's eyes widened at that and they searched Stefan's to find that his little brother looked surprised, too. Obviously, they were thinking the same.

Stefan cleared his throat loudly to change the subject. "Wes should get a table. It's pretty crowded already."

"Yeah," Elena agreed absent-mindedly before turning to Damon. "You want to join us?"

"Yes, I'd love to – " Damon answered happily in sync with Stefan's

"No, he can't."

Elena raised a brow. Damon glared at Stefan who just glared back. For a couple of seconds there was thick tension between them that everyone could sense. Then Elena asked confused "Why not?"

Sweet Elena, she really wanted to have him there, didn't she?

Damon's features softened into a sneer. "Ah, I get it. Little brother is afraid I could catch him underage drinking. I am after all his legal guardian."

"What about your parents?" Bonnie blurted.

"They're dead, Damon answered flatly.

"I know what that feels like," Elena said compassionately and put a soothing hand on his arm.

"And we really don't need to get into that now," Stefan added firmly.

"Agreed," Damon said and grabbed Elena's porcelain hand. He briefly let his thump stroke her delicate, olive skin and stared into her chocolate eyes.

"Another night, Elena." He gave her an encouraging smile and kissed her hand. "Enjoy the night," he said, then let go of her hand. "Oh, and Stefan? Don't stay out too late and if come home drunk I'll ground you."

He relished in the glare Stefan shot him and let the Grill chuckling.

Outside he leant against the house wall, smiling. Maybe it hadn't been such a bad decision to return to this godforsaken town after all. He ran into a perfect copy of Katherine, possibly her reincarnation and her best friend happened to be a witch.

This was definitely his lucky day.


	5. She was just like that

_Hi everyone! Thank you for your reviews to the last chapter! I'm glad you enjoy reading it! This time we tap a little into the history of the triangle from 1864. Enjoy!_**  
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* * *

**Chapter 05: ****She was just like that**

When Stefan returned home that night Damon was lounging on the couch in the parlor with a glass of bourbon.

"Didn't know we had alcohol stored," Stefan remarked, joining him.

"We didn't. I stocked up on that and on blood," replied Damon, taking a sip of his bourbon.

"So you intend to stay, huh?"

"That was the plan." He gave him a smirk. "You know, sweet Elena is quite a catch. Especially tonight she looked… delicious."

Damon had no time to enjoy his joke because the moment he finished the sentence Stefan lunged at him. The glass dropped to the floor, spilling its content over the carpet. Stefan was on him, choking him but Damon managed to speak anyway.

"That's… my… carpet… And that… scotch… is… very… old…!"

"I don't care about your furniture or liquor," Stefan barked. "But you stay away from Elena or I will kill you even though you're my brother!"

"First…" Damon choked out and in a split second he had wound himself out of Stefan's grip. He was now standing in front of the fireplace. "First, don't fool yourself. You're never gonna be able to kill me you Bambie drainer. And secondly, I'm not going to hurt her, okay?"

"Then why – "

"I have two eyes in my head. I notice," Damon said matter-of-factly. "I also notice the fact that dear Elena looks like an exact copy of our beloved Katherine. You notice that? Sure you did. What other reason might be there for you to _date her_." He spat out the last two words like a curse.

Stefan groaned. "Do we really have to do this?"

"I think we do. The big elephant in the room…"

"It's not the reason why I date her."

"I'm not stupid!"

"No, really. Okay," Stefan gave in. "The looks can't be talked away. That's what caught my attention in the first place but that's not why I date her," he affirmed. "I started to date her in order to get to know her, to find out if she was anything like her. She isn't. She's everything but her."

"Explain."

"She's selfless and kind and innocent." A smile appeared on his face.

"You idiot!" Damon shouted. "Katherine was just like that!"

"No, she wasn't and you know it."

"Stop it!"

"Damon, there's got to be a reason why the Lockwoods attacked her – "

"I said STOP IT!" Damon repeated and hit the nearest wall hard. He was so angry now that he had to control his breathing.

Stefan gave him a sympathetic look. "We don't know what happened back then," he said softly. "We'll never know. We have to let this go – "

"I know exactly what happened back then!" Damon retorted. "You couldn't deal with the fact that your brother got the beautiful girl! So you shamelessly hit on her until she felt sorry enough to put up with you!"

"She wanted it!"

"Stop lying!"

"Damon – "

"No, she would never…"

"Damon, you have to get rid of that saint image o her," Stefan tried to reason with him. "She wasn't like that."

"It's the only intact image of her I have and I won't let you ruin it," Damon spat before he rushed upstairs into his room.

He slammed the door shut and started rummaging around on his desk until he found what he was looking for. An old picture of Katherine. Holding onto the picture he slumped onto the bed.

"Why did they do this to you, my love?" he asked the picture. "Why did they take you away from me?" He sighed. "I miss you so much… But I promise I'll get you back. We'll be together again just like you said."

* * *

_Damon being concerned about the carpet... I think I confused this story with EEHAS for a second... I don't know. Damon seems to be the kind of guy to buy cool brands and antique stuff xD_

_So Kat wasn't as much of an angel as Damon sees her. What exactly caused her death will be revealed later. First Damon will carry out step 1 of his plan to get Katherine back. Any guesses?_


	6. The Ring

_Hi, everyone! Thank you for the reviews to the last chapter! I always enjoy reading them! :)_

_In this chapter you'll learn what Damon is up to. Enjoy!_**  
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* * *

**Chapter 06:**** The Ring**

Damon's plan had separated stages.

A – befriend Elena's friends

B – get on good terms with that witch

C – make Elena fall for him

D – have her convince the witch to perform whatever ritual to get Katherine back

and E – perform the actual ritual and welcome Katherine back.

Today he was carrying out stage A.

He was sitting at a table at the Grill, having a drink and waiting for one of Elena's friends to show. He waited till ten p.m. before she did.

"Blondie…"

She walked straight over to him, self-conscious as ever.

"Hi. You were Damon, right?"

"Mmmmh." He gave her a seducing smile. "Caroline, right?"

She beamed at him. "Yes, right."

It was remarkable just how shallow Caroline was. Within the next three hours they were at her place with Damon rocking her world – literally. Their relation changed from total strangers to hot for each other to dating. And now they were officially a couple. It was a little too easy for Damon's taste but some people were just stupid.

* * *

Stefan didn't know what his brother was up to but he knew it wasn't good and it concerned Elena. So he did everything he could to protect his girlfriend.

"Don't say I never gave you anything," he said smiling and dropped a ring into her open palm.

"Oh, Stefan… it's beautiful," Elena said hesitantly.

He sensed her discomfort. "You don't like it?"

"Oh, I do. I do. It's just… a ring?"

"It's nothing like that," he assured her. "You can wear it on your middle finger or on your index finger. But if you feel awkward I can get you something else."

"No, you don't have to. I really like it," she affirmed and slid it on.

"Oh, it's tight…"

"It's not too tight, right?" he asked worried.

"No, it just fits really well. I'll have my trouble getting it off the next time I want it to."

What she didn't know was that that was the intention behind it…

"It looks good on you."

"Yes, it's really beautiful," she repeated, admiring the ring.

"It was my mother's," he told her proudly.

"Your mother's?" she said shocked. "I – I can't take it."

"It's okay, really," Stefan replied reassuringly. "I've been waiting to give it to someone but I never met the right girl to give it to… until now," he added sheepishly. "I know we've only been dating for six months – "

"Oh, Stefan. I feel flattered," she said before she hugged and kissed him.

* * *

Later that night Damon and his new girlfriend met Stefan and Elena at the town's hotspot. Blondie had had the great idea to make a double date out of it much to Damon's displeasure. But at least he got to spend some time with Elena.

"So… Damon, tell us something about yourself," Elena encouraged him. "You've been here for what, two weeks? And we still don't know anything about you. Well, I'm sure you told Caroline a lot."

"No, actually not," Caroline remarked drily.

"There's nothing interesting about me to tell," the older Salvatore evaded.

"Oh come on, Damon, don't be shy. You sure look interesting to me," Elena kept pushing and earned herself a look from both Stefan and Caroline.

Damon smiled amused. Wasn't she sweet?

"What did you do? Did you go to college? Or do you have any hobbies?" Elena continued.

"I actually did go to college," he answered.

"What did you major in?"

Damon shared a look with Stefan before he responded "Mythology."

Stefan and Elena's eyes widened and Caroline snorted. "Oh please. Mythology? Watched too many movies?"

"I was always interested in the things that go bump in the night," he drawled.

"Like what? Ghosts? Vampires?" she mocked.

"Why? Would that make you hot for me?"

"Damon," Stefan warned.

Caroline huffed. "Not really."

_Liar_… Damon thought.

"Sounds interesting," Elena now said, sounding sincere. "What's it like? College? I'm going there next fall. I'm curious."

"It's cool," Damon told her. "You've got your freedom, away from home. Doing what you wanna do. Have some fun with your fellows." He wiggled his brows suggestively.

As a reaction to that, Stefan put his arm protectively around her. Elena gave him a quizzical look but he just shot her a smile.

"I think I'm gonna head for the restroom," she announced.

"Uh, me, too," Caroline said.

They both got up and left for the restrooms, leaving the Salvatores alone at the table. Their eyes met.

"I'm gonna get us a new round," Damon said and quickly left the table, too.

He took his time ordering the drinks though. In fact, he was just waiting for Elena to return from the restroom. He hoped to have a moment alone with her. He silently prayed that she wasn't one of those girls who spent ages in the restroom, refreshing their make-up or something. She didn't strike him to be one of those but how was he supposed to know? He did know however that Caroline was one of those. Hopefully she wouldn't take her time.

But she did… Fortunately Elena didn't. She came back five minutes later. She saw him at the bar and walked over to him.

"Hey. I ordered a new round for us. Mind helping me out with these?" he asked, pointing at the drinks.

"Sure." She raised her hands to pick up the glasses. In that moment Damon spotted something silver on her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in advance before he snatched her hand to take a closer look at the object on her middle finger.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"I've seen this before," Damon said, letting go of her hand, and took a hold of the drinks instead.

"Oh, yeah. Stefan gave it to me," she told him.

"I figured that much."

"It's not a problem, isn't it? 'Cause if it is I'll take it off."

"No, no, it's fine," he assured her.

That moment Caroline interrupted their conversation and they walked back to their table.

* * *

The rest of the night was pretty standard and boring. Two hours later they called it a day. Outside the Grill their ways parted.

"No offence, girls, but it'd be stupid to see you home considering us boys are heading in the same direction and you girls in the opposite," Damon pointed out.

Caroline looked rather pissed by that. She pursed her lips and didn't even bid him goodnight. Elena on the other hand said it to him and kissed Stefan goodnight. Damon just wished they would get a room. No, actually, that would be worse.

After what seemed like ages they pulled apart. Elena waved at Damon and then she and Caroline took off.

Damon and Stefan headed into the opposite direction. They walked silently for about a block. Then suddenly Damon lunged at his brother and slammed him into a house wall, pinning him there.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked confused.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Damon shouted. "That I wouldn't find out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The ring. You put vervain into it. And from the look of Elena's nearly-to-blood-loss-squeezed finger I'd say it fits pretty tight and isn't coming off so fast. Smart move, I gotta give you that," he acknowledged. "But that ring! You had no right to give it to her! _No right!_"

"Damon, calm down!"

"You know who that ring belongs to! No one else is allowed to wear it, do you hear me? No one!"

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"How'd you get in on her anyway? Blinked a few times and told her it was your Mom's?" Stefan pursed his lips, looking guilty. Damon shook his head and let go of him. A smirk was back on his face a split second later.

"You have no right to possess the rings if you can't even tell them apart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stefan inquired suspiciously.

"I switched them a long time ago," Damon told him. "The ring dear Elena is currently wearing is our father's. There was no way I'd let you have mother's ring."

Stefan paled out. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Damon asked and laughed darkly. "Nice work, idiot."

And with that he walked off into the night.

* * *

_So I guess it's pretty obvious that his mother meant the world to Damon. He still possesses the ring, just like Stefan, waiting for the right girl to give it, too. The next chapter will have more Delena moments in it, so stay tuned :)_

_I like quizzes so bear with me ;) What do you think Stefan will do now? Those who guess it right will get a dedication again :)_


	7. AN: Sharing Copyrights

**Sharing Copyrights**

Yes, it is what it sounds like. I'm going to share the copyrights of this story.

I noticed that I simply don't have the time nor the inspiration to continue this fic. It all seemed so easy when I started it and made the trailer. I was thinking about deleting the story and just keep the video but then I saw that there's not an insignificant number of readers who really seem to enjoy reading this fanfiction.

Starting in October I'll be majoring in Film & Television and right now I have no idea how much of my time my studies will take up. And then there's my other fic Every End Has A Start and the side projects I have planned.

So here's what we're gonna do. I'm willling to share the copyrights of this story under one condition. You keep to the storyline in the trailer video.

If you're interested in obtaining the rights of this story, review to this author note. I'm gonna check out your fics and your writing skills. Mind you, the decision who will eventually obtain the rights will be totally subjective. So if you happen to be one of my favorite writers you have better chances at receiving the rights than others 'cause I already know you are good at writing.

So... although it's breaking my heart... I'm looking forward to your response!


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